On the heels of an impressive workout at Florida's pro day, league sources say that Tim Tebow is among those players who have been invited to New York for the April 22-24 NFL draft.
Tebow, who unveiled his new throwing motion for scouts, coaches and general managers in his workout, has accepted the invitation from the league, according to an official. Two NFL personnel men told ESPN that Tebow's workout on Wednesday boded well for the Gators quarterback, especially with those teams that were considering him as a high draft prospect.
The league did not release the entire list of players invited, though it is expected to include at least four quarterbacks -- Tebow, Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen and Texas' Colt McCoy.
The league traditionally invites players who are projected to go in the first round. A league official said that even though Tebow could be a first-round selection, the new three-day draft format also motivated the NFL to double its invitation list from nine players in 2009 to 18 at next month's draft.
The new draft format will conduct the first round only on April 22, a Thursday night, and the second round only on the next night. The final four rounds will be conducted on Saturday.
Tebow threw dozens of passes to former teammates Riley Cooper, Aaron Hernandez and David Nelson during a 30-minute workout.
Carolina Panthers coach John Fox, Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris were in attendance. So were Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Gene Smith and Browns president Mike Holmgren.
About 3,000 fans showed up despite light rain. They cheered loudly as Tebow walked onto Florida Field for the first time since his home finale in November and applauded every completion.
